There are crybaby watchdog groups out there complaining about the portrayal of torture on television. It's a more focused version of the attack on sex and violence in movies, TV and video games -- specialty crybabying, if you will. But soon after complaints arose in early February, more news reports started to filter out on the FCC's side of the story.
From AP, via CNN:
WASHINGTON -- Television networks are free to sprinkle their programs with shootings, slashings, torture and other gore because the government has no regulatory authority over violent programming.
But a draft report being circulated at the Federal Communications Commission says Congress can change that, without violating the First Amendment.
The long-overdue report suggests Congress could craft a law that would let the agency regulate violent programming much like it regulates sexual content and profanity -- by barring it from being aired during hours when children may be watching, for example.
"In general, what the commission's report says is that there is strong evidence that shows violent media can have an impact on children's behavior and there are some things that can be done about it," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.
What they're talking about is lessening the amount of violence broadcast on public airwaves during safe harbor hours (which is the part of the seemingly unending and confusing pit of FCC regulations that regulates when you can do certain "indecent" things on the air). Not mentioned is the fact that most networks follow the current rules 24/7 anyway. You never see Basic Instinct on CBS at 2 a.m.
Just what we need is more of the government deciding what can be shown on television and what can be classified as decent. When they pass this, no show will ever get edgier than Saved By the Bell.
That is, apparently, the fault of screenwriters and television fans and not that of the soldiers whose parents didn't teach them how to be humans -- at least teach them the difference between television/film/video games and reality.
But that brings me to the problem of parents monitoring the TV habits of their child, which is too much trouble, I guess. The v-chip and ratings system don't do enough of the work. Let's just let the government raise our kids the way it sees fit. Don't worry, I understand how hard it is to tell the difference between family content and adult content.
What crybabies don't understand is that violence and sex (and torture) and whatever else they're looking to cut out of entertainment media are usually an integral part of the image these shows or films are trying to portray. Most of the time, you don't see this stuff added gratuitously unless it's an underfunded movie looking to make a splash on video. Whatever hole the FCC thinks it's found in the First Amendment isn't really there. There's no "unless" in the Bill of Rights.
For the record, I heard no whimpers or moans about the reasonably frequent use of torture as a plot device in Alias during that spy show's reasonably long run. I don't believe it ever had the numbers of a 24, but it employed torture scenes just as much, if not more.
Try telling 7th Heaven it's 18th season can't have any mention of religion. It's the same thing.
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